There’s nothing quite like human emotions. Nothing quite like the human spirit.
We are an imperfect breed that makes mistakes and even worse, doesn’t learn from them, most of the time. There’s no positive that can make us look beyond this truth. That I have already talked about looking beyond it, doesn’t make us look any good. What makes us beautiful then, if anything does?
It is when we come together to empathise and support, just as we come together to celebrate. It is when we share tears during adversity as we do during moments of joy.
The Denmark national football team has garnered those feelings from around the world in the last three weeks. Wearing their hearts on their sleeves and riding on the mighty wave of emotional support, the team has made it to the semi-finals of the European Championships.
Defeating Russia, Wales, and Czech Republic in their last three games and producing arguably the best 45 minutes of football this tournament against the number one ranked Belgium, less than a week after the horrific events of Friday the 12th.
The last time they won more than one game at the Euros was in 1992, when they went on to win their only major football title beating the world champions Germany in the final. The tournament had only 8 participants back then, it had 24 in 2020.
Denmark featuring in the final four is wonderful for ‘the beautiful game’. It shouldn’t be a suprise though.
This Danish side may have been inspired by something beyond the meagre scope of football to perform the way they have, but that they have been a brilliant team cannot be taken away from them.
If FIFA world rankings are in any way indicative of where teams stand, Denmark were 10th before the tournament began. Above Germany, Croatia and Netherlands. They are sure to surpass even bigger names once the tournament ends, but that shouldn’t be our big talking point.
While attacking in numbers, this Danish side has been a pure joy to watch, continuously looking for ways to score. In the buildup to the final four, they have scored 11 goals, which is the joint second highest in the tournament. Only Spain have rolled the ball more behind the net (12).
No team however, has more goals/90 minutes than Denmark (2.20). No other team in the tournament has had an average of more than two goals/90 minutes.
| Team | Matches | Goals/90 minutes |
| Denmark | 5 | 2.20 |
| Netherlands | 4 | 2.00 |
| Italy | 5 | 1.87 |
| Portugal | 4 | 1.75 |
| Belgium | 5 | 1.60 |
| England | 5 | 1.60 |
| Spain | 5 | 1.59 |
| Switzerland | 5 | 1.41 |
| Croatia | 4 | 1.38 |
| France | 4 | 1.38 |
| Poland | 3 | 1.33 |
| Czech Republic | 5 | 1.20 |
| Austria | 4 | 1.15 |
| Sweden | 4 | 1.15 |
| Ukraine | 5 | 1.13 |
| Germany | 4 | 1.00 |
| Hungary | 3 | 1.00 |
| Wales | 4 | 0.75 |
| North Macedonia | 3 | 0.67 |
| Russia | 3 | 0.67 |
| Finland | 3 | 0.33 |
| Scotland | 3 | 0.33 |
| Slovakia | 3 | 0.33 |
| Turkey | 3 | 0.33 |
*Minimum 30 minutes played per squad game to qualify as a leader
You miss all the shots that you don’t take is what the team seems to believe in. Denmark have taken the most shots/90 minutes (17.00) after Italy (18.75) and Spain (17.47). They have been more accurate with them than Italy, hitting more shots on target/90 minutes (6.80) compared to the Azzurri (5.25).
Live-ball or dead-ball passes that lead to a goal are important metrics as goal-creating actions. Denmark are the joint-second best in terms of completing live-ball passes that led to a goal (10) and joint-best in terms of dead-ball passes (2).
The Danes have been decisive in attacking without the ball at their feet as well. No team has made more recoveries than them in the tournament so far (225).
In defence, they haven’t been the strongest team, claiming only one clean sheet and conceding five goals in 5 matches. But let’s not forget, attack has been the name of the game for Denmark. Even goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has been a major contributor in the team moving the ball upwards with the 4th highest progressive passing distance (2410) in the tournament.
The proven track record of strong defensive units winning such tournaments should be a concern, but with an elusive set of attacking individuals who move forward in cohesion, there’s no reason for the 1992 champions to not believe again.
Following the unfortunate loss of talisman playmaker Christian Eriksen, Denmark showed great flexibility in shifting their formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3. In the knockout games against Wales and Czech Republic, they shifted to a 4-3-3 in the second half, with the right central defender, Andreas Christensen moving into the central midfield, pressing and recovering the ball further up the pitch. Such changes could only have been successfully implemented with players not looking to hold back, of which there seems to be no dearth in this team. They may not be the elite superstars in European football, but they have played superstar football this summer.
Up front, Kasper Dolberg (more like Goalberg) has more goals/90 minutes than any other player in the tournament (1.71). None of his 3 goals have come from a penalty, which translates well in terms of non-penalty goal-scoring metrics, compared to other prolific goalscorers. The 23-year old also has more shots on target/90 minutes than any other player (2.28), which makes him look the threat in front of goal that the former Ajax prodigy was always touted to be.
Martin Braithwaite may not have been as potent a goal scorer as Dolberg, but his numbers depict his contribution in setting up his teammates and in drawing the opposition defenders towards him to free spaces for others to exploit. He has carried the ball 11 times into the penalty area so far, which is the joint second-highest in this edition of the Euros. English fans will mostly relate him to a certain Jack Grealish in terms of drawing fouls, a total of 10 so far, the joint fourth-highest in the tournament.
In Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, the Danes have a playmaker who has been given the freedom to play a more advanced role than his club, at the same time being his aggressive self in recovering and retaining the ball. The Spurs midfielder has a total of 3 assists to his name, only fewer than Steven Zuber of Switzerland (4). With 36 progressive passes so far in the tournament, 11 of which have been into the penalty area, he’s the fourth-best in that tally. In terms of shot-creating actions, the central midfielder is also the 4th best with 20, more than Kevin De Bruyne (18), Jorginho (17), and Paul Pogba (17). The new Tottenham manager, Nuno Espírito Santo should’ve seen enough to unleash his number 5, come next season.
Accompanying Højbjerg in creating more chances and taking a few himself has been Denmark’s right-footed left-back, Joakim Maehle. The 24-year old has two goals and an assist to his name leading up to the semi-final against England. He has carried the ball more times into the penalty area than any other player (12). In fact, every time he has carried the ball in the final third, he has been able to enter the penalty area with it.
It isn’t just carrying the ball forward, Maehle has also been delivering a barrage of crosses into the box, a total of 14, which is the joint fifth-highest so far. Starting as a left-wing back with a back three has helped him progress with more freedom. The Atalanta number three should expect some big calls very soon.
Speaking of crosses, the other wing-back and the other central midfielder, Jens Stryger Larsen and Thomas Delaney have also been handy in putting them into dangerous territories. The duo have delivered four crosses each into the penalty area, joint third-highest in these Euros, giving Denmark the much-needed versatility in attack.
He may not find mentions in the advanced tournament statistics like a few other of his teammates but Mikkel Damsgaard has been as good a player to watch out as they come. His goal against Russia and his assist against Wales to set up Dolberg brilliantly teased the 21-year old, who has only played 7 games so far for the senior national team.
In defence, captain Simon Kjaer has led from the front, both on and off the field. With a total of 30 clearances, he’s the joint 5th best at these European Championships. A skill much needed being the central defender in a back-three system playing a high line with the ball. The AC Milan defender has also been able to apply pressure on the opposition, with a successful pressure percentage of 44.7, not too far behind number one on that list, Aymeric Laporte (51.9%). Kjaer has also not shied away from making tackles, with a total of 13 so far, which is the joint third-highest by any player in the competition.
The other two accompanying him in the three-man backline of Denmark, Jannik Vestergaard and Andreas Christensen, have also been no less aggressive in their approach. The duo has prevented any openings from the opposition in either of the channels around the goal by winning a total of 37 aerials in between them. No other defensive duo has won more aerials in the tournament so far.
Denmark (and Chelsea) fans have also been gifted with the top displays from Christensen at the other side of the pitch. His outside-of-the-box belter against Russia wasn’t the only impact he’s had in making Denmark look vicious while attacking. In both of their knockout fixtures in the second half, Kasper Hjulmand put Christensen higher up the pitch in the second half to lead a more aggressive press. The saying that the best form of defence is attack has not been exemplified better at these Euros than by Denmark.
Another positive to add to their diary would be Yussuf Poulsen getting some playtime in the quarter-final against Czech Republic after missing out on the round of 16 game against Wales due to injury. The 27-year old had scored against Belgium and Russia in the group stages, including Denmark’s first goal at these Euros. Even though his replacement, Dolberg has been firing on all cylinders, to have someone like Poulsen back up and running will be a big morale booster ahead of the semi-final.
England will no doubt be the toughest opposition for this Danish team. The three lions are the only side that is yet to concede at Euro 2020. Playing in front of a vociferous crowd in Wembley, the team who started their journey in Copenhagen will need to shut the noise and do what they do best, attack and defend by attacking. Who’s to bet against them if they do that?
Never before have Denmark scored these many goals in a major football tournament. To do that after what they’ve through on the first matchday is just football literature of the highest order.
Some years from now, this literature shall be inked in the history books, distributed across Denmark, ideally across the globe. The story itself will be the winner, even if the team isn’t. But perhaps the maths and the science that we have discussed will help those reading, listening or watching, better understand their success. And understand they will.
As one imperfect ancestor of their’s once wrote,
There’s nothing quite like human emotions. Nothing quite like the human spirit.
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